Fantastically great women who made History by Kate Pankhurst

Bloomsbury, 2018, ISBN 9781408878897
(Age: 8-12) Recommended. Subjects: Women - History, Women - Biography. Fantastically Great Women Who Made History looks at the lives, discoveries and achievements of many important women from Hatshepsut in Ancient Egypt to Russian astronaut Valentin Tereshkova. Kate Pankhurst's has an engaging and unique presentation design, interweaving fun and interesting factual information with stylish cartoon characters, bold coloured text boxes and visually engaging fonts and sizes.
'To make history you need to be brave, bold and believe in yourself - just like the women in this book.' The book begins with Harriet Tubman who helped many runaway slaves escape through the Underground Railroad between 1850 and 1860 in Maryland. Flora Drummond fought for women's equality and for the right to vote in Edwardian England, as did the author's relative Emmeline Pankhurst. Chinese Qiu Jin wrote poems, articles and gave speeches about the unfair treatment of Chinese women, in the late 1800's. She was passionate about the cruel practice of feet binding and encouraged her students to secretly rebel against the old-fashioned government rulers. English inventor Ada Lovelace designed a flying machine in 1828 when she was just twelve, and later worked with Charles Babbage on his Difference Engine.
Pankhurst travels through history, focussing on inspirational women, some famous and others who have made important contributions to women's rights, people's lives and living conditions across the arts, literature, music and world issues. Pankhurst concludes with a challenge 'How will you make history?' Fantastically Great Women who made History is an excellent resource suited to Humanities and Social Sciences from Year 2-Year 9 reflecting on women's influences in the shaping of Australia and the world.
Rhyllis Bignell